A&D Medical launches new corporate website

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A&D Medical on Wednesday announced the launch of the company’s new corporate website. AnDonline.com reinforces the A&D vision of "… Clearly a Better Value" for customers, the company stated.

"We hope to make the new website a destination for our current customers, and look forward to expanding it with more information and products as we continue to grow," stated Frank Marrone, SVP, board member and corporate secretary. "Customer satisfaction is a key aspect of our business, and new communication tools like our in-depth product information and resource centers will enable us to further strengthen our customer communications and build stronger relationships."

The new website features an updated and cleaner look for A&D, with easier navigation, product information and specifications, as well as special resource centers for consumers, media, professionals and certified dealers. Concurrently, A&D Medical also is launching social media campaigns on such sites as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

"This website and social media campaign are just the beginning of new and exciting marketing campaigns designed to propel A&D Medical in the marketplace," noted Ed Siemens, director of marketing and sales for the medical division.

Echinacea minimally reduces cold symptoms, study finds

MADISON, Wis. — An over-the-counter herbal supplement believed to improve immunity function has minimal impact in relieving the common cold, according to research by the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health released Monday.

The study, published in this month’s Annals of Internal Medicine, found that echinacea reduced the duration of the cold by seven to 10 hours. Bruce Barrett, lead researcher and associated professor of family medicine suggested that was not considered a significant decrease.

"Trends were in the direction of benefit, amounting to an average half-day reduction in the duration of a week-long cold or an approximate 10% reduction in overall severity," Barrett stated. "However, this dose regimen did not make a large impact on the course of the common cold, compared either to blinded placebo or to no pills."

The randomized trial involved more than 700 people between 12 and 80 years old. The subjects, all of whom had very early symptoms of a cold, were divided into four groups. One group received no pills, a second group received what they knew was echinacea and a third group was given either echinacea or a placebo, but they did not know which. Participants recorded their symptoms twice a day for the duration of the cold, up to two weeks.

Barrett suggested a larger trial involving people who have found echinacea useful may help provide more answers. He added that there were no side effects seen, so there is no reason that cold sufferers should stop using echinacea if they think it helps them. "Adults who have found echinacea to be beneficial should not discontinue use based on the results of this trial, as there are no proven effective treatments and no side effects were seen," he said.

Prilosec OTC’s ‘Heartburn gone … power on’ tagline nixed by NAD

NEW YORK — The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus on Tuesday ruled that Procter & Gamble provided reasonable support for claims that Prilosec OTC provides “superior acid control” over a competing product, Prevacid 24HR. However, the NAD recommended P&G discontinue a comparative claim made in a context that doesn’t reference acid control, the review board added.

The NAD determined that P&G provided a reasonable basis for claims that referenced “superior,” “longer” and “2x longer” acid control. The NAD further recommended that the advertiser clearly and conspicuously disclose the extent and limitations of its support for the claims.

The claim “only 10% of Prevacid prescriptions” are written at the 15-mg dose in Prevacid 24HR, while “Prilosec OTC contains the same medicine at the same dose as its leading Rx formulation,” appeared separately in a context that did not reference acid control. The claim was accompanied by the tagline “Heartburn gone … power on.”

NAD found that claim, in a comparative context that concerned the elimination of heartburn symptoms, could be understood to mean that Prilosec OTC is superior to Prevacid 24HR at relieving heartburn symptoms in frequent heartburn sufferers — a claim for which the advertiser provided no direct scientific evidence.

The NAD recommended that the claim be discontinued.

P&G, in its advertiser’s statement, said that while the company was disappointed that the NAD found fault with the claim in the context of the “Heartburn gone … power on” tagline, the company has agreed to comply with the NAD’s recommendation to discontinue the claim in the challenged context, and to take the NAD’s decision into account in future advertising.

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